UniMan Gutting It Out: Needs New gear

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Here is Max Chen's report about our amazing TransAm unicyclist, Patrick
Thomas who has his own web at: http://www.pedalthewaves.org (http://www.pedalthewaves.org/)

========================================
June 30, 2004

So I talked to Patrick last night for a good while. He ís
going to try and call every few days and I'm going to try
and relay his whereabouts and mental and physical state (he
ís tired, but still in good humor). When he has the time,
he'll go back and fill in everything in his own words.

He called from the Jailhouse Motel in Ely, Nevada. The
restaurant is called the Cellblock Steakhouse! He notes that
Nevada is full of gambling smokers and completely devoid of
fellow blacks - quite a change from multicultural San
Francisco.

In the two weeks since his last report, he's had a number of
adventures, and many have revolved around the kindness of
strangers. From being offered rides/shelter/food/water to
arranging newspaper interviews, people have been very
generous and these actions have reaffirmed his faith in
humanity. His ride has been documented in the South Tahoe
Tribune, Reno Gazette Journal, Nevada Appeal, and on TV
through KTVN - the CBS affiliate in Reno. You can check out
www.ktvn.com . Apparently some guy in a CA arranged the
interview and the anchorwoman came out to meet him along the
banks of the Truckee River. These interviews and talking to
strangers helps him keep going and put things in
perspective. They remind him of his cause, because on those
long lonely brutal stretches he has considered turning back.
He's had a brief cold, his (in my words) grossly inadequate
and underplanned equipment has been falling apart, ** he's
had to camp out twice without shelter on the side of the
road**, and he survived sand storms and pummeling rain.
Someone please secretly steal and replace his tattered,
sewn, and HEAVY backpack. And give the man an emergency
blanket too (maybe he can use it as a sail as well as
prevent his teeth from chattering in the night). He checks
his mail every few days and can be reached at:
Uniman@pedalthewaves.org

He's been amazed at the diversity of people's stories as
well as the range of natural environments. Forest, desert,
plains, mountains. It ís all there and unlike from inside a
car, he can really experience it: the smell of roadkill; the
tortuous cross winds; the taste of bugs; plus he's got a
cool tan line.

Anyway, he's pretty tired and realized fairly quickly just
how hot and arduous this trip is going to be. He's been
eating lots of deep fried goodness and cholesterol filled
breakfasts. I suggested bananas and kiwis, lots of water and
trail mix or granola. He's mailed back a few packages with
unnecessary things like his CD player, microrecorder, and
reading book. (Don Loomis had quite a bit of extra stuff
too. Come to think of it, so did my brother and I). In the
future he's got a 90 mile day on "the loneliest rode," which
will be his longest day yet. He still plans on going to Salt
Lake City even with Skot Pís horrible opinion about the
state of Utah. He's going to visit his uncle up in Denver.
And he is still determined to reach Chicago for the NBG
event. I suggested doing whatever he can to join RAGBRAI.
That will pick up his wavering spirits for sure.

Well, until his next phone call, that ís pretty much
it.

Max Chen http://www.nationalbicyclegreenway.com/Events/Mayo-
rs_Ride/bios/max_chen.p hp

On Thu, 1 Jul 2004, Cycle America wrote:
> So I talked to Patrick last night for a good while.=20 He
> =EDs going to try and call every few days and I'm going to
> try and relay his whereabouts and mental and physical
> state (he =EDs tired, but still in good humor).=20

I'll never be able to comprehend the rationale motivating
people to such endeavours. Especially when they appear not
to have thought out the hardships before embarking.

There is an interesting Museum in Bolzano (Italy) where one
can see how clever a traveller could be, and better be so,
even on the most inhospitable terrain.

Sergio Pisa

In article
<Pine.LNX.3.96.1040701082354.5016D-100000@servadio.df.unipi.it>,
Sergio SERVADIO <servadio@mail.df.unipi.it> wrote:

> On Thu, 1 Jul 2004, Cycle America wrote:
> > So I talked to Patrick last night for a good while. He
> > ?s going to try and call every few days and I'm going to
> > try and relay his whereabouts and mental and physical
> > state (he ?s tired, but still in good humor).
>
> I'll never be able to comprehend the rationale motivating
> people to such endeavours. Especially when they appear not
> to have thought out the hardships before embarking.
>
> There is an interesting Museum in Bolzano (Italy) where
> one can see how clever a traveller could be, and better be
> so, even on the most inhospitable terrain.
>
> Sergio Pisa

There was a swede but I can't remember his name. And this
guy sailed a 21 foot boat that he built himself to india.
Then he took out of the boat a bicycle, rode the bicycle to
the foot of Everest (I may have the mountain wrong but it
was a significant one) and climbed it solo.

Kurt

In article <admuse-86C5A4.07283001072004@netnews.comcast.net>,
admuse@modiaone.net wrote:

>
>
> There was a swede but I can't remember his name. And this
> guy sailed a 21 foot boat that he built himself to india.
> Then he took out of the boat a bicycle, rode the bicycle
> to the foot of Everest (I may have the mountain wrong but
> it was a significant one) and climbed it solo.
>
> Kurt

following up my own post. I did remember wrong. He used no
boat but rather bicycled from Stockholm to Katmandhu and
then climbed Everest. His name was Goran Kropp and he died a
few years ago climbing in Washington State.